Sunday, March 16, 2008

Training again

I've been skipping the weekend group rides lately in favor of some morning time with the lady, even talking her into sharing a couple hours on the bike. Yesterday I opted for the fixed gear, given the rough looking sky, and did a leasurely hour - forty five before heading off on my own for some more intensity. I headed off to do an over and back on Fox Hollow and when I turned onto Amazon I looked up to see the hill completely obscured by it's own private cloud.Up one side and down the other all the way to the base, turn around and up to the top again. No rain, just clouds. About halfway down towards town, there's a little rise that kicks you out of the trees where on a clear day you can see the Sisters, exposed, briefly, before disappearing again. Spinning like mad I hit the climb and stood up, and suddenly was staring down at something I hadn't seen all day: my shadow. This tiny stretch of road was completely illuminated. Directly ahead was a sky so black that the clouds had no shapes. For a few seconds, I was pedaling, but not moving. Then, right at the top, my shadow disappeared like a switch had been thrown, and I plunged downward into the rain.